High density plasma etch induced damage to thin gate oxide

We report here severe charging caused by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch, a high density plasma tool, on devices targeted for the 0.35 /spl mu/m technology mode. For the first time, direct evidence of a bi-directional charging mechanism is provided. Differential amplifiers connected to antennae exhibit offset voltage increase up to 300 mV. The lifetime of a nominal device in the presence of ICP charging is shown to reduce by a decade. Reported here for the first time is the immunity of SOI devices to such severe charging environments.